Prince William among those who pay tribute to the beloved owner of the Leicester football club killed in a helicopter crash

British Prime Minister Theresa May and Prince William paid tribute to the owner of a famous Leicester football club who died in a helicopter crash after watching his team play.

Leicester City owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, died with four other people when the helicopter crashed into a parking lot outside the stadium just after 8:30 pm, the football club announced in a communicated.

The formal identification has not yet occurred, but the other victims would be two members of his staff, Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpar, and private pilots Eric Swaffer and Izabela Rosa Lechowicz, police said.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, was among the most prominent personalities to express his condolences this weekend, stating in a statement that he "had the chance to know Vichai for several years".

"My thoughts are with the family and friends of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and all the victims of the terrible Leicester City Football Club accident," he said. "He will be missed by all the fans of this sport and all those who have the chance to know him."

Prime Minister May echoed the sentiments of the prince.

"My thoughts are with the family members, friends and supporters who are involved in the tragic Saturday night accident in the Leicester City stadium," she said.

Srivaddhanaprabha's son and wife both left a crown to Thai billionaire Vichai and other victims on Monday at the club's stadium.

Several members of Leicester City's gaming staff, including Ben Chilwell, Jamie Vardy and Kasper Schmeichel, also expressed their shock on social media.

An accident investigation was opened by the Air Accident Investigation Branch, the police said. The inspectors will review the flight data and the technical, operational and human factors that may have been involved in the incident, although their work may be made more difficult by a fire after the crash that damaged the flight recorder. helicopter.

Although the details are not officially known until the investigation is complete, an eyewitness told Sky News that the accident could have been much worse if it were not actions. " heroic "of the pilot.

Sky Sports News cameraman Dan Cox was crossing the parking lot when he saw the helicopter over his head. He remembered that the plane was spinning and was out of control.

Michael Regan / Getty Images, FILE

"I do not know how the pilot did it, but he seemed to have managed to slow down the turning rotation and drifted into the corner of the parking lot," he said. "It could have been a lot worse if the pilot had not done that."

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha made his fortune by founding King Power in Thailand in 1989. He became the largest duty-free retailer in the country and by his death he had become the fifth richest man in Thailand, with a net worth of 4.9 billion, according to Forbes.

Srivaddhanaprabha became a beloved figure in the Leicester community after buying the football club in 2010, according to the club's website. The club was promoted to the Premier League in the 2013-14 season. He then miraculously won the Premier League in 2015-2016, despite the fact that it's about 5,000 outsiders, making it one of the greatest feats of history soccer.

Phil Holloway, editor of Leicester Fan TV, told ABC News that "to say that fans of Leicester City are broken is a euphemism".

"We never dared to dream before Vichai took over our club," he said. "He has been a source of inspiration to all of us – he has turned our club from a local sports team into a global brand."

Paul Ellis / AFP / Getty Images

Supporters were invited to pay tribute to King Power Stadium.

"The main thoughts of all the members of the club are with the Srivaddhanaprabha family and the families of all who are on board at this time of unspeakable loss," the club said in a statement.